Electroplating apparatus for wire or the like



1941- i J.L. SCHUELER ETAL 2,229,423

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS FOR WIRE OR THE LIKE Filed May 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l fga Jan. 21, 1941.

J. L. SCHUELER ETAL ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS FOR WIRE OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1937 Patented it... 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PA ENT FFlCE uncrnormrmo mm'rus Foawmn f on 'rnn LIKE Julian L. Schueler, Kokomo, maroiinn may,

West Lafayette, Ind., and Graydon E.';Holdeman, Midland, Mich, aulguors to Purdue'llesearch Foundation, tion of Indiana La Fayette, Ind. a'corpora-I serial 5 use;

comm. (c1. cor-etch The present invention is directed to apparatus which in the form shown includes means for cleaning and rinsing andthereafter electroplating wire or thin strips of metal (which for convenience throughout the description will be included under the. term wire) by a continuous operation and under proper control to guide the wires through the baths and impose the desired amount of tension on each'of the wires individ- In particular the invention is directed to the means for suspending and energizing the wires within the plating bath so that the immersed sections of the wires constitute the cathodes during the plating operation.

The mechanism is one which provides cathodesthat are formed in sections which may be readily renewed or replaced as occasion may require, and

relates'to the means provided for regulating the hangers which suspend and vguide the wires through the bath to impart the desired tension anddirection of travel to the wires aswell as to energize the same. The construction of the hangers is one which permits the wires'to be threaded laterally and to secure the necessary electrical contact'thereupon under suflicient tension to insure an efiectlve contact.

Further objects and details will appear from a description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure l is a plan -view; of the'apparatus embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig; 3 is an enlarged. longitudinal sectional elevation through the plating tankand associated pa ts;

Fig. 4 a. cross sectional elevation taken on line Hot Fig.3; a 1

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional elevation taken on line5-5ofFlg.3; and l Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the hangers showing "the hooked end thereof in section.

'I'heplating apparatus includesa cleaning tank III, a rinsing tank, a plating tank ,and a series of takeup reels. IS, the corresponding-delivery reels at, thelfeeding endof the apparatus not being shown. The tanks for convenience are mounted respectively uponsupportsll, I 5 and IS.

.The cleaning tank aflordsareceptacle for the retention of a suitable cleaning fluid which is preferably an acid solution capable of providing a chemically clean surface to the .wire. It may evenbe desired to. pre-rust the wire,,-so.that the acid. cleaning, in removing the rusthwill. carry with it all forms of materials upon the surface of the wire. This pre -rusting may be effected in any suitable manner, as by pure water, acidulated tions performed by these elements in the plating b h, with the understanding, however, that the I same mechanical elements are present in the cleaning bath but utilized with reverse polarity.

description will be directed to the plating bath and with the parts operating as anodes andcathodes and wlththe current flow from the anodes to the wires for plating purposes.

Referring, therefore, particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, which represent sections taken from the plating tank, and with the understandingthat the physical construction is the same through the cleaning tank, it will be noted that the tank is relatively long and shallow, the width being variable to accommodate the desired number of wires which may be multiplied indefinitely.

The tank comprisesa bottom i'l, side walls l8,

and suitable end walls. (not indicated), the tank being provided with an insulating lining l9 throughout. As shown thelower corners of the tank aresupported within'ahgle iron sills 20 which constitute thetop rails for the frame or support Ii which holds the tank in elevated relation. The above descriptionapplies equally to 'thecleanin gtank. I

The'upper margins of-the tankare provided with angle; bars or rails 2 I, the horizontal flanges of which extend outwardly,*and as shown the insulating lining is extended outwardly along the rails 21 and constitutes the upper facing therefor. The edges of the tank serve to'supporta plurality of bridge bars 22, each of whichat its ends With this understanding, therefore, most of the is oifset to afford supporting fleet :23 which rest upon the insulation-covering the rails 21, and each bridge bar isprovided on its under edge with T-shapedrecessesll in spaced relationto one another,- which aflord keyhole apertures, pro- .viding-inturned shoulders .25 having an insulating facing, 2i. 1 {Ihe shouldered recesses 24 afford sockets. for the suspension of elongated anodes 21 which are in the form of plates or bars standing edgewise and in closely spaced relation to one another across the width of the tank.

Each'oi' the anode bars 2l at each end is provided with a hanger 28. having a T-shaped'head 29 which is socketed withinthe shouldered-re- 'cesses 24, theanodei bars beingJformed injseclation to one'anotherf the' hangers ofjcontiguous tions, the hanger ends of which stand in butt rebars being socketed within the same shoulderreconvenient length and coupled together to form.

cess, as shown in Fig. 3.; This methodof 's'uspen-s s'ion permits the anode section'stoi-be formed-of int-effect a continuous anode, which maybe of sections to be substituted'orfireplaced as occasion r the tank.

same time @the arrangement permits individual may require. Each anodeJsection is provided with a pair ofups'tanding armsgsn rwhich extend. above the level of the tank and'are" connected by a buss'bar 3|. I

The wires are suspended ate-proper elevation to run between the anodes 21, and itis'preferred to run the .adjacentvwires in a zigzag or undulatory path of travel-rather than in a' straight line path, in order to securethe necessary tension to afford electrical contact for theimmersed sections of the wires so that the wires may act as the cathodes in the plating operation. For this purpose, each of the wiresruns through the hooked head ends 32 or hangers 33, best illustrated in 6. Each of the hangers is shouldered .at its medial point 34jand undercut to afford aniannularrecess ti which-receives the upper end of an sulating tubular sheath 36 which'surroundis the uaed -lowerem 1 tonn hanger,- wmch ten eafdtiz stander, I

The jh'eads321 is "slottedlinone side to aflord' a adjustable to impart anupward liftor a downbare spot should be at the base of the 'upper leg fat ward thrust-upon the wire. If adjusted to afford a lift, the bare spot 43. should be formed at the lower leg of the slot, but if the adjustment is to be one which imparts a thrust upon the wire, the

of the slot. In other words, that portion only of the head of the hanger should be bare of insulation which makes direct tensloned contact with the surface of the wire, so that the transfer of energy will be centered at such points of contact only.

All of the hangers for a'single wire stand in longitudinally aligned relation and have their upper ends adjustably entered through lugs 44 which are secured to and extend laterally from an intermediate longitudinally extending suspension bar 45, the ends of which are supported upon elevated bridge bars 48 carried by standards 41, the

ends 48 of which rest upon the side walls of the tank. The bridge bars 46 are formed of sections,

the ends 49 being struck upwardly to bear against opposite sides of the series of suspension buss any desired lengthfdepen'ding the "length of Furthermore, the employment of anode sections 'Obviates the necessity 'for'manipulatingthe en-'- tire length of the anode, since if the latter were 1 made integral, its length and weight might make it difiic'ultqzto properly: manipulate and at the natesinarthreadedlstem 3 upon which the bars 4! to which they are secured in any suitable manner. a

The suspension bars 45 constitute buss bars for energizing the hangers 33 which through the heads .32 make contact with the wires, and in order to facilitate adjustment the suspension bars (buss bars). 45'are,formed in aligned sections which are supported at each end in the manner just described and so that'in 'efl'ect a series of parallel closely spacedsuspensi'on bars extend from end to end of the tank, each bar supporting and energizing the hangers for a particular wire.

The hangers are held in adjusted position by means of set screws which permits the hangers to be individually adjusted to the desired degree to impart a zigzag path oftravel to each of the wires, which will run through the tank under tension and in such a way as to alternately contact the upper andlower bare spots 43 of the hanger heads to aflordelectrical contact at these points only. Thefarrangement is clearly indicated in Fig, 4, from which it will be observed that the hangers forthe alternate wires stand in staggered relation, so that the wires which are elevated will make contact within the lower legs of the recess'es while the wires which are depressed will make contact within the upper legs of the recesses.

The arrangement just described is duplicated within the cleaning tank, where, however, a pair of electrode heads 32, one atthe entering end and the other at the exit end of the tank, engages the wire at points above the level of the cleaning solution. These electrodes function as anodes and because they remain out of the solution are protected from corrosion. Within the tank, in closely adjacent relation to the wires, are elongated bars which serve as cathodes, their arrangement being the same as in the plating tank. Directcurrent wires SI and 52 are employed with lead wires 53 and 54 leading to the respective buss bars, and it will be noted that the leads for the connections in the cleaning tank are reversed as compared with the leads of the plating tank.

The wires are led over and under guide rollera 55 at the entering end of the cleaning tank to the takeup reels I3.

In order to maintain a circulation of the electrolyte within the plating tank, and preferably in a direction opposite to the travel of the wire therethrough, a plurality of discharge pipe coils I are laid in the base of the plating tank, which coils are provided with apertures for the discharge of the fluid into the tank, which fluid is withdrawn through a pipe 6| and the action of I a pump 82, which delivers the fluid to a header 3 discharging into either of two storage tanks ,depending upon the adjustment of valves 65.

The fluid from either or both of the storage tanks flows through a delivery pipe 66 connect ing with the coils 60, and thus completes the circuit, valves 61 being provided to afford the necessary regulation of the flow from one or both of the tanks 64.

' The plating tank is preferably of very much elongated construc ion in order to afford the immersion within the plating tank is one which enables thedirection of movement of the wires throughout their travel from end to end of the tank to be repeatedly varied back and forth in a zigzag direction to secure repeated points of electrical contact throughout the line of travel and irrespective of the length of the tank as a whole. These details of construction make it possible to guide and adjust the wire at all points, or to renew a section or sections of the anode bar without dificulty or dismantlement of the apparatus as a whole, so that the number of wires running through the apparatus can be varied and the length of the immersion. period can be varied within wide limits, since thearrangement shown permits the entire length of the tank, or any fractional portion thereof, to be utilized, depending upon the weight of the plating desired or the period of immersion required, so that different wires may be variously plated while running through the same tank and without change in the feeding Speed, which may be" uniform for all wires of the series. These factors make the arrangement one which is highly desirable for use, in materials where it is frequently necessary to change or regulate the plating conditions, and in which economy requires that a uniform feeding speed for all of the wires be maintained, I

Although the invention has been described with full particularity as to detail, it will be understood that the various feaur'es of construc tion heredescribed may be used in'varying combinations, and that it is notthe intention, un-

less otherwise indicated in the claims, to limit the invention to the mechanism in the form shown.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for electroplating wire, the combination of a tank, a longitudinally extending electrode bar having a hanger at each end, a bridge bar at each end of the electrode bar spanning the tank and adapted to engage with and suspend the hangers on the electrode bar,

a pair of elevated bridgebars, a suspending bar carried by the bridge bars, a plurality of hangers adjustably secured to the suspension bar and depending therefrom into the tank, each of the hangers at its lower end being provided with a ,means for energizingthe suspension bar and the hangers carried thereby.

2. In apparatus for electroplating wire, the

combination of a tank, an electrode extending longitudinally of the tank and consisting of sec-' .tions, each section being of bar formation standing edgewise and the sections having their ends inabutting relation to one another, the ends of each section being upturned to provide hangers,

a bridge bar foreach pair of contiguous hangers,

each bridge bar having a member for engaging a pair of contiguous hangers, suspension bar sections extending longitudinally of and above the tank, bridge members for supporting the suspension bar sections in elevated relation, hangers adjustably supported by the suspension bar sections and having their lower ends depending into the tank, each hanger having at its lower end a member provided with a laterally opening recess merging, into oppositely extending legs, either of which is adapted to have the wire brought into contact with its base, the point of contact for the wire being unprotected to afford an electrical contact and the remainder of the recessed portion being protected by the insulating covering, means for energizing the electrode bar, and means for energizing the suspension bar sections with the hangers carried thereby.

3.-In apparatus for electroplating wire, the combination of an elongated tank, a horizontalli elongated electrode in the form of a plate extending longitudinally of the tank and above and in edgewise relation to the bottom of the tank, a bridge bar at each end of the electrode spanning the tank and supported in fixed relation thereto, a hanger at each end of the electrode extending therefrom and engaging the proximate bridge'bar for suspending the electrode between the bridge bars, a row of wire supporting hangers having their lower ends in laterally adjacent relation to one of the'side faces of the electrode,

said lower ends having laterally opening recesses vertically enlarged above and below the opening to retain a wire against withdrawal when held under tension against either end of the recess, a suspension bar rigidly supported above the tank and in position to support the upper ends of the row of wire hangers, and supporting means for each hanger secured to said bar and adapted to permit individual adjustment of the respective wire hangers to vary the height of the wire engaging recessed ends of the row of hangers and thereby impart tension to the wire to hold the same against displacement from the recesses and stagger the travel of the wire.

a. In apparatus for electroplating wire, the combination of an elongated tank, a horizontally elongated electrode in the form of a plate extending longitudinally of. the tank and above and in edgewise relation to the bottom of the tank, a bridge bar at each end of the electrode spanning the tank and supported in fixed relation thereto, a hanger at each end of the electrode extending upwardly therefrom and engagingxthe proximate bridge bar for suspending the .electrode between the bridge bars, a row of wire supporting hangers having their lower ends in laterally adjacent relation to one of the side faces of the electrode, said lower ends having laterally opening recesses vertically enlarged above. and below the opening to retain a wire against withdrawal when held under tension against either of the recesses, the walls ,of the recess being insulated save for the wire contact points at each end ing means for each hanger secured to said bar and adapted to permit individual adjustment of the respective wire hangers to vary the height of the wire engaging recessed ended the row of hangers and thereby impart tension to'the wire to hold the same against displacement from the recesses and stagger the travel of the wire.

5. In apparatus for electroplating wire, the

combination of an elongated tank, a plurality of horizontally elongated electrodes standing in edgewise alignment with one. another and each being in the'form of a plate extending longi tudinally of the tank and above and in edgewise' relation to thebottom of the tank, a bridge bar at each end or the group of electrodes andan intervening bridge bar adjacent the. aligned ends of contiguous*electrodes,-each of said bridge bars I transversely spanningthe tank and fixedly sup ported with relation thereto, ,a hanger at each v end of each electrode extending upwardly therefrom and removably engaging the proximate bridge bar for suspending the electrodes between the bridge bars, a rowv of wire supporting hangers having their lower ends in laterally adjacent relation to the side faces of the electrodes, said lower ends having laterally opening recesses vertically enlarged'in opposite directions behind the opening to retain a wire against withdrawal when. held ,under tension against either end. of a 're-- cessed enlargement, and means, for suspending the wire supporting hangersjand permitting individual vertical adjustment thereof to impart tension to the wire and hold the same against displacement from the recesses and stagger the travel of the wire.

6. In apparatus for electroplating wire, in com- 'into' an elongated slot extended in opposite directions behind the opening to afiord opposite contact points for the wire so positioned as to prevent displacement of the wire through the opening when the wire vis tensioned to maintain it in engagement with either of said contact points.- 1

7 In apparatus for electroplating wire, in combination with a tank-and an electrode therein,

and means for drawing wire' under tension therethrough a plurality of guide members for the wire having their wire engaging ends ofiset vertically with relation to the line 01' tension of the wire and positioned within the tank; in laterally ad- "Jacent relation to the-electrode and each having in its end a lateral opening adapted to permit a wire tobe entered therethrough, said opening merginginto'alvertical slot extended in oppo- 1 site directions behind "the opening to afl'ord op- .posite contact points tor the wire at the opposite ends oithe slotjand sopositioned as to prevent lateral} displacement; oi the wire through the opening fwhenthewire is-tensioned to maintain it inengagement with either oisaid contact points'ythe.recessed portion of said guide member being'insulatedsave for said contact points. -8.IInapD81"atus for electroplating wire, in combinationwith ,a tank and. an electrode therein andimeansior drawing wire under tension therethrough, 1 a. plurality of vertically disposed guide membersfor the. wire having their wire engaging ends offset vertically with relation to the line ofv tension ot-thewire and positioned within 7 the tank and in laterally adjacent relation tothe electrode and each having in its end a. l'-

shaped recess with the center leg of said recess opening laterally topermit a wire tobe entered inginto thevvertically disposed crossportion oi' the wire at each end of saidcross portion to prevent lateral withdrawal of the wire when held under tension against the-base at either end of said cross portion of the recess.

9. In apparatusio'r electroplating wire, in combination with a tank and an electrode therein I therethrough andsaidleg at itsinner end me'rgthe T-shaped recess to afiord contact points for and means for drawing wire 'under tension therethrough, a plurality of vertically suspended guide,

members for the wire having their wire engaging ends oifset vertically with relation to the line of tension of the wire and positioned within the tank and in laterally adjacent relation to the electrode and each having'in its end a T- shaped recesswith the center leg of said recess opening laterally to permit a wire to be entered therethrough and said leg at its inner end merging into the vertically disposed cross portion 'of the T-shaped recess to afford contact points for the wire at each end of said-cross portion to prevent lateral withdrawal of the wire when held under tension against the base at either end ofsaid cross portion 01' the recess, the surface or said recess being insulated except at the wire contacting ends of the cross cess.

JULIAN 1.. SCHUELER. JOHN L. BRAY. GRAYDON' n. HOLDEMAN.

portion of said re- 

